One of the most popular forms of power generation is the combustion of fossil fuels, such as natural gas and coal. In industrial settings, the mixture of gases produced by the combustion of fossil fuels is known as a flue gas. While the flue gas generally contains relatively inert components such as ash and water, the flue gas also contains several undesirable components including acid gases. Acid gases are vapor phase chemical compounds that form acids when exposed to moisture. The presence of acid gases in the flue gas is generally not preferred because the acid gases contribute to several undesirable atmospheric phenomena, including acid rain and global warming. The United States and several other national governments have sought to reduce the occurrence of these undesirable atmospheric phenomena by limiting the amount of acid gases that power plants and other industrial complexes are allowed to emit into the atmosphere. As such, there is an ongoing need to reduce acid gas emissions from industrial plants, such as power plants.
Various techniques have been developed for removing acid gases from flue gas. Generally, these techniques involve passing the flue gases through carbon scrubbers or filters that absorb or adsorb at least some of the acid gases. Alternatively, the acid gases can be scrubbed with caustic solutions that reduce the amount of acid gases present in the flue gas. However, the existing methods for reducing acid gas emissions are problematic in that they are relatively inefficient, expensive, and/or time consuming. Consequently, a need exists for an improved method to reduce the acid gases present in the flue gas.